BRADENTON, Fla. – Cole Tucker started the year by going 10-for-10 stealing bases, before finally being thrown out on a bang-bang play attempting to steal third base on April 18th. I talked with Tucker after that game, looking to get some insight on his early stolen base attempts and the frequency in which he was stealing bases. But Tucker initially thought the interview was about something else.
“You want to know why I’m not hitting,” Tucker guessed.
At the time, he had a .196 average with a .531 OPS in 59 plate appearances. I wasn’t as concerned with the hitting at the time, as Tucker is only 20 years old and in High-A for part of his second season. He has been aggressively pushed, has been working on making his swing more consistent, and at this point is still raw enough to focus more on the approach than the results.
One month later, Tucker is still stealing bases at a large rate, but suddenly he has started hitting. Following the night I talked to Tucker in April, he started a ten game hitting streak and a 28 game on-base streak. He was starting to hit, but not hitting for a lot of power. He was still getting a lot of singles and walks, and the stolen bases continued. As the on-base streak continued, Tucker continued hitting, and started adding some power in the process.
In the middle of April, Tucker looked like a guy who was adding a valuable asset to his game with the stolen bases, while trying to figure out the hitting. Now, he’s looking like a guy who is starting to figure it all out, and that valuable asset of stolen bases is looking even more valuable for a guy who is hitting for average, getting on base, and adding some power.
So how did Tucker get here, and is this all for real?
The Stolen Bases
Tucker is now 26-for-32 on the bases, stealing both second and third at a regular pace. Alen Hanson led the system last year with 36 stolen bases, and that was over a full season. Tito Polo had 46 in Low-A in 2014. Gregory Polanco had 40 in Low-A in 2012. Jose De Los Santos stole 53 bases in 2009 in High-A. Those are the only three players who have stolen 40 or more bases in the Pirates’ farm system since 2009, and Tucker is on pace to beat all of them.
The impressive thing about Tucker is that he’s not the fastest guy. He’s fast, but only grades out as a 55-60 runner. He’s not the fastest player on his team — that honor belongs to Casey Hughston — and he’s not even among the fastest in the system. But sometimes base running is more about being smart than being the fastest player on the field. Bradenton coach Adam Godwin, who has worked a lot with Tucker this year on base running, credits Tucker’s will to learn for being so good on the bases.
“The compete factor, and the savvy is there,” Godwin said. “But now that he matures as a player, the process of learning how to and when to [steal]. Even some of the bases he’s getting now, when he’s in Pittsburgh one day, they may not be stolen bases up there, but he’s learning from every attempt. That’s what I’ve challenged him to do. Let’s be prepared, study, when we get in the game just be ready to let instincts take over. He’s done a great job of that, and we just try to learn from each attempt.”
Tucker came into the year knowing that the ability to steal bases was a tool that he had, and one that he wasn’t using as much as he should in previous years. He stole six bases in 13 attempts last year, and stole 25 in 31 attempts in 2015. This year, he wanted to get back to stealing more often, and has exceeded his career best in less than two months.
“I talked to [Kimera Bartee] in Spring Training about it a lot, and working with Adam Godwin here has been great,” Tucker said about stealing more often. “He’s been all about it, and we talk about it non-stop. Just picking signs, and picking situations, looking for good counts to run in. Definitely a testament to Goddy. He’s been helping me a lot with my base running.”
Tucker watches video, compares notes early in games with his teammates, and keeps a book of times on opposing pitchers — all standard practices for stealing bases. He looks for opportunities to steal bases, such as counts where a pitcher might throw a breaking pitch, or when there’s a slow pitcher on the mound or an ineffective catcher behind the plate. Again, those are standard stolen base strategies. Godwin said that what separates Tucker is the fact that he’s taking ownership of his base running, and has a drive to be better. Bradenton manager Gera Alvarez agreed.
“He wants to steal bases,” Alvarez said. “We’re giving him an opportunity to learn and fail. He’s going to continue stealing, and there will be times when he gets caught. It’s part of the learning curve. But we want him to be aggressive and learn, because we feel that down the road it’s going to benefit the organization as he continues to learn how to steal bases.”
One drawback now is that opposing teams have caught on. Tucker stole four bases on May 1st, then did it again on May 5th. Since that point, he has attempted just six stolen bases in 16 games. Part of that has to do with his power increasing at that time, which I brought up when talking to him this week about the reduced attempts. The extra base hits have been an issue, but so has the fact that other teams know he will steal.
“It sounds cocky to say, but it’s harder to steal when you’re on second or third,” Tucker joked. “There’s more chances when you’re walking or getting base hits. That’s been down because of that. And catchers and pitchers are paying more attention. I’m seeing more pitch outs and pick-offs. That kind of jumbles up your timing a little bit, which sucks. I’m still looking for the opportunities when they are there, reading times and reading sequences, and looking for opportunities to go, because that is a weapon I have for my game.”
But the increased attention from opposing pitchers and catchers hasn’t deterred Tucker from wanting to steal.
“I’ve told him that this element is coming,” Godwin said of teams adjusting to the steals. “He hasn’t shied away from stealing and wanting to learn.”
Tucker knows that it won’t always be easy, and he won’t be able to steal bases at-will. This next step provides a challenge for him, showing if he can be a threat on the bases when other teams are expecting him to be a threat.
“I have to have a heightened focus,” Tucker said of his new game plan. “Goddy has been great here with me, and working with me on that. Just teaching me the game, and just having that killer mentality on the bases. When I get to Altoona, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, catchers are going to be better, obviously. That’s just how it is. Yadier Molina is not going to let me steal on him. Just learning when I can go and when I can’t go. That just comes from being a player and growing and learning. Having that same mentality that I am good enough, fast enough, smart enough to steal when I do get the chances.”
Tucker’s stolen bases early in the year have been impressive, but it will be his stolen base attempts going forward that will tell a big story of his abilities to be a threat on the bases.
The Hitting May Finally Be Arriving
One thing lost in the stolen base discussion is that Tucker continues getting on base. The fact that he has 32 stolen base attempts shows that he’s getting on base at a good rate.
“The biggest element is stealing first,” Godwin said. “That’s a credit to [Bradenton hitting coach] Keoni [De Renne] and his hitting, and working at that. He’s been able to steal first, which is the most important base, and then the homework added up with his instincts, and just savvy on the bases is showing up for him.”
Tucker was mostly getting singles at the start of the year, and sometimes he wasn’t getting that, instead getting a lot of walks. He had a .230/.320/.276 line in the month of April, yet still had 16 stolen base attempts.
I saw Tucker last year in Bradenton and noticed a trend. He would make solid contact with a ball, then roll over the next four or five pitches, sending weak grounders that were easy outs. I saw some of this inconsistent performance early in the season as well.
I talked with Tucker about this during instructs last year, during Spring Training this year, and after his first few weeks this season. His focus was on using his big frame and long arms to do more damage and hit for more power. He was always a guy who did well with his timing and making contact, but he needed to find a way to correct his posture and maximize the contact he was making. He may finally be getting where he wants to be with that approach.
“I had a really good spring, especially offensively,” Tucker said. “Just getting back to where I was then, and just simplifying things and getting in a better position to hit consistently like with what I worked on all offseason with having better posture and using my extension and my leverage to my benefit. It’s been great.”
Alvarez feels like Tucker has simplified his approach, and has been putting together quality at-bats each time out lately.
“From my angle, I’ve just seem him a little bit more upright, so he has a little bit more leverage now,” Alvarez said of the difference in Tucker. “He looks balanced, and looks good. Swings are aggressive, and if you see the balls come off the bat, he’s hitting balls in the gap and now he’s hitting balls out. … It’s just attributed to his work in the offseason. He’s come in this year ready to go, defensively, on the bases, and offensively.”
Tucker’s performance so far in May has been impressive. He has a .337/.416/.584 line in 89 plate appearances, with that impressive .256 ISO standing out. It’s only one month of production, but he’s showing some positive signs from the hitting standpoint, and showing that he is capable of hitting for some power.
“I’m 6′ 4″, so it’s in me,” Tucker said. “I can use my long levers to do that, and it’s fun when it happens obviously. I think that’s something I can do, and I think that’s part of my game that I’m definitely going to use as an advantage going forward as I move up in the system and grow as a player.”
What Kind of Player Will Tucker Be?
Good or bad, you can only take stats at face value to a certain extent in A-ball. That’s especially true when you’re dealing with small sample sizes. The more important thing to focus on is how a player looks on the field.
Tucker is stealing a lot of bases, which leads to an impressive 26 steals in 32 attempts. The more impressive thing is that he’s getting good jumps, making smart reads, and even when he’s thrown out, it’s a close call or the result of a pitch-out.
He’s starting to hit more often, and he’s hitting for power. That leads to an impressive month at the plate, although it’s worth noting that he is striking out more often than normal, with a 25% strikeout rate. He’s looking good at the plate, making solid contact more often, and cutting down on his bad at-bats.
His defensive work has looked good, with good, smooth routes to the ball. His arm strength isn’t consistently good, but it is good enough to stick at the shortstop position. He may end up being a better defender than Kevin Newman, making him the choice for the shortstop position if the two are both in Pittsburgh together.
Right now, Tucker is doing a lot of things right, and Pirates’ General Manager Neal Huntington has noticed.
“He’s understanding what to do with the barrel,” Huntington said on Sunday. “With 26 stolen bases, he understands what he’s doing with his legs, learning the defensive necessities of shortstop and just growing and developing each step of the way.”
If this play continues, Tucker could end up moving to Altoona by the end of the season. That would likely come only after Kevin Newman moves to Indianapolis, which probably won’t take place until Newman gets on track with his own adjustments. Tucker is hoping for that opportunity later in the year, but not rushing anything right now.
“Obviously you want to play well where you are, and you want to move up,” Tucker said. “You always think you’re ready for that. But it happens when it happens. I’ve just got to focus on being where I am here in Bradenton. When I do get that call, I’ll be ready to go and excited.”
The first two months of the year have shown good developments for Tucker. The Pirates were high on him when they drafted him in the first round in 2014. He’s got a lot of the things they’ve liked, with the ability to play a premium defensive position, a good hit tool, and the ability to control the strike zone and get on base. He also has some speed to add to his game, as he’s showing this year. But Tucker could stand out from other middle infielders the Pirates have drafted with similar skills, all due to his size and power potential. If this is the start of Tucker being able to hit for some power, then we could be seeing a future above-average starter emerging in the lower levels.
